ISLAMABAD, Nov 7: Pakistan is seeking suspension of all duties on Pakistani products by the United States for three years, withdrawal of quotas and resolution of a number of miscellaneous disputes that Pakistani government is unwilling to disclose at the moment.

Commerce Minister Abdul Razak Dawood told a news conference, before his departure for Doha on Wednesday that President General Pervez Musharraf, during his visit to the United States, would discuss suspension of duties with President Bush.

“US authorities are seriously considering suspending duties and a positive outcome is expected during the CE visit,” the commerce minister said. “I had briefed the CE in detail.”

He said that while the president would be taking up suspension of duties for three year with his US counterpart in Washington, he (the commerce minister) would be discussing removal of quota restrictions in Doha as whole US trade team would be attending the WTO moot.

Pakistan would not oppose competition, investment, environment and labour policies per se being pursued by the West and would call for liberal implementation on these issues, the minister said.

He said Pakistan would also be seeking extension in Trips (trade-related intellectual property rights) and trade-related investment measures (Trims) under the World Trade Organization (WTO) at the five-day WTO ministerial meeting at Doha. Further, specific patent protection to over 100 Pakistani products of traditional background would also be sought.

The minister said the 15-member Pakistani delegation would also try to persuade the developed countries to withdraw their domestic subsidies at home and remove high import duties on agricultural products from the developing countries.

The 15-member official delegation, led by the commerce minister, that left here for Doha comprised a couple of trade lawyers, businessmen, NGOs and government officials.

The minister said that Western countries were heavily subsidizing their agricultural products which hurt Pakistani farmers due to uncompetitiveness.

The classic example of this situation was subsidy on cotton provided by the US due to which Pakistani farmers could not compete that market. “Another issue is high duties on Pakistani rice, and we would be discussing this issue at Doha,” said the minister.

Mr Dawood said that another subject of Pakistan’s interest would be extension in Trims that were originally due to end by December 1999 after which all countries were required to open up their markets.

Pakistan would also plead that developed countries could not introduce World Development Standards without the support of the developing countries. The minister said that developing countries were ready to introduce environment standards but these should not be strict.

Mr Razak said that under the Trips agreement, Pakistan could protect local know-how and products of cultural background, which no country or multinational could take away. If a multinational tried to register such an item in other countries, Pakistan would ensure that it could take up with WTO and get back its traditional identities.

Some of these items, mainly in the agriculture sector, include kinoo, mango, Sindhi ajrak, rulli, Kashmiri chappal and so on. Many countries and regional blocs were protecting such unique things under the copyrights and patent laws of Trips. France had protected champagne and Scotch whisky.

The minister hoped that Doha meeting would not turn out like Seattle conference because it would be a big blow to the global trade if the conference failed. He said that draft WTO agreement would be open for discussion at the meeting.

“We would like to have objective discussion with the spirit of resolving the issues rather than creating issues,” said the minister and added that before going into the Doha moot, he would hold discussions with SAARC, Islamic countries, other developing countries and D-8 countries. He said that the developing countries had a common stand and hoped that they would be able to protect their common interests.

On the bilateral side, he said that Pakistan would hold discussions with China, Japan, Turkey, Bangladesh, India, UK, Australia and the United States. Objective of the bilateral meetings, he said, would be to try to get more and more access to market.